There are generally two types of semi-truck used for transporting cargo: long haul trucks and short haul trucks. Long haul trucks are typically equipped with sleeper compartments that allow drivers to sleep or rest when transporting cargo over long distances. Because of this, such long haul trucks are commonly referred to as having sleeper cabs. Short haul trucks on the other hand are typically only utilized for transporting cargo over short distances and which can be completed in a single day. Short haul trucks, thus, are commonly referred to as having day cabs.
In order to permit occupants to move between the driver and sleeper compartments, the driver compartment is provided with a back-side opening and the sleeper compartment is provided with a corresponding front-side opening that when aligned and joined together form a an occupant-passage between the two compartments.
Generally, after an initial period of road use, long haul truck owners and operators find it economically prudent to remove their long haul trucks from service and utilize them as short haul trucks and/or to sell their long haul trucks, typically for short haul use. A problem with this, however, is that the former long haul trucks include sleeper cabs, which are not needed for short haul use. Additionally, the sleeper cabs tend to detrimentally affect the resale value of the trucks. Thus, it is desirable to convert a sleeper cab into a day cab.
Several factors can affect the ease by which a sleeper cab can be converted into a day cab. However, perhaps the factor most affecting the ease of conversion is whether the sleeper cab was originally constructed to be integral with the driver compartment of the truck, or whether it was prefabricated and subsequently mated with the driver compartment during assembly, i.e., a modular sleeper cab. Generally, as described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,860, the conversion of a truck from an integral sleeper cab into a day cab requires the removal of interior components such as seats, carpeting, insulation, and can require that structural beams and body panels be cut. Consequently, it is generally desirable to construct long haul trucks utilizing removable modular sleeper cabs because the sleeper cabs can be readily removed when the semi-truck is removed from long haul service.
A problem with constructing long haul trucks utilizing modular sleeper cabs, however, is that the driver compartments and sleeper cabs come in many different lengths, widths and heights, which can make it difficult to mate various driver compartments with different sleeper cabs. For example, the back-side opening of one type of driver compartment may differ from the front-side opening of a mated day or sleeper cab in such a way that the two connected compartments are not fully “open” to one another, which detrimentally restricts the established occupant passage therebetween.
Another issue that arises even when the openings are configured to mate-up with one another is that due to manufacturing tolerances and the like there will usually not be exact matings of the openings. Therefore, the need has been recognized to utilize take-up devices, of sorts, that allow for the compensation of these inexactnesses and the establishment of suitable alignment, or accommodation of acceptable misalignment between mated compartments.
In another respect, when a back compartment (sleeper or day cab) has an exterior width greater than that of the driver compartment (see FIG. 1C where the expansion to the sleeper cab is abrupt with a flat, forward-facing surface), the transition has not traditionally been particularly aerodynamic, with the result being a negative impact on fuel economy for the truck.
Another problem with using today's modular sleeping cabs is that the interface between a driver compartment and the sleeper cab may not be as “solid” as in trucks in which the sleeper cab is integral with the driver compartment module. Consequently, a truck having a modular cab can experience increased vibration and road noise when compared with that of a truck having an integral sleeper cab. Also, the interface between a modular sleeper cab and a driver compartment may not be as aesthetically pleasing when compared with a truck having an integral sleeper cab. Furthermore, many modular sleeper cabs are specifically designed to mate with certain driver compartments, thus limiting their reuse or installation on other trucks.
In view of the above and related deficiencies, there is presently a need to provide an interface or adapter that can be used for enabling access between variously configured modular sleeper cabs and mated driver compartments, and which more effectively and stably interconnects the sleeper cab and driver compartment. Still further, it is preferred that these interfaces be aerodynamic and provide an appearance that the modular sleeper cab is integrally formed with the driver compartment of the truck.